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Monday, December 5, 2016

Do you have a budding ,young artist in the family? Are you still searching for that "just right gift" for your artist friend? Well, here are a few suggestions I have heard about from the artist at the Pendleton Art Center.

8. Do not for get all of the local classes that are offered or how about on line classes.

These are just a small sampling of idea's. If your really stuck and not sure what tools and supplies they already have, I don't know an artist who wouldn't love a gift card fro one of the major art suppliers. Happy Holiday Hunting.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

I love the feel of a new journal. There is this excitement to dive right in and fill the clean, pristine pages as quickly as possible. Over time I have learned to slow down and begin each new journal on a positive note.

My very first page is all about "Being Grateful". I slow down and focus on how fortunate I am to be living In this time and place. You will notice that I don't completely fill in my Gratitude Wheel when I first start. As the days proceed I find so many things on a daily basis to add to the wheel. By daily returning to the wheel I start fresh each day on such a positive note.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Today's new painting for the 30 paintings in 30 challenge is finishes on an archival mixed media paper. I have incorporated a lot of Teal into this piece. the contrast between it and the yellows and oranges brings this painting alive.

I hope you have been
following along with the #30 paintings in 30 Day Challenge I am
participating in for the month of September. I have been posting daily
to my website as well as my Instagram account and Facebook
page. Check out each day's entries for all of the over 1000 artist from
around the world who are participating in the challenge on the: 30 Paintings in 30 Days blog.

Since I haven't been able to post all of the first paintings in the challenge I have include a montage of the first nine days.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Day 2 in the 30 in 30 Challenge. Picked up white in the high flow paints today. I am really enjoying using them. They have their own unique interaction with the paper. Will have to see how they react on a stretched canvas.

All of the backgrounds for next week are ready and drying. Going to be a Red kinda week.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

This has been a great day. My supplies arrived from Blick. The new Gelli Plate and High Flow paints are all ready for the first week of the Challenge. I will be working for the first few days with the new paints and a cool little tool that lets things move in a simple flowing line.

This little tool can be filled with any type of high flow paints. I tried regular acrylic that had been diluted with water. It clumped up in the extremely small nosel. The high flow paints from Golden worked beautifully.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

I took a little time this afternoon and worked up a list of possible themes for the 30 paintings in 30 days Challenge. Some of the artist participating in this Challenge are going to use one overarching theme for the whole month. I have decided to focus on a new technique for me and then break that process down into small, traditional elements of the artistic process. So I started jotting them down, this is what I have so far; line, shape, form,color, texture, value, and space.

Lines...A Line is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical,
or diagonal; straight or curved; thick or thin.

Shape...A Shape is a closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or
organic, like free-form or natural shapes. Shapes are at and can express length
and width.

Color...Color is light reflected off of objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue
(the name of the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it
is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).

Texture...Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or
smooth, soft or hard. Textures do not always feel the way they look; for exam-
ple, a drawing of a porcupine may look prickly, but if you touch the drawing, the
paper is still smooth.

Space...Space is the area between and around objects. The space around objects is of-
ten called negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the
feeling of depth. Real space is three-dimensional; in visual art, when we create
the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.

Value...Value refers to the lightness and darkness of areas in an artwork. White is the lightest value, while black is the darkest. A value scale shows a range of lights and darks.

As the week's progress I will be able to use more of these trDitional elements in the prints. This is going to be a really great Challenge.

In
less than 5 days the new 30 Paintings in 30 Day Challenge will begin. I
am really excited about this new challenge. For a little over a year I
have been starting off my morning with a cup of coffee and a daily
abstract painting. This past May I injured my knee and this part of my
morning had to be put on hold. Well, "I'm Back" Many artist will tell
you that one of the best ways to improve your craft is by ; painting,
painting and more painting. I completely agree. so here goes; My goal
is to spend the month of September working on a new technique. I love
the idea of creating my abstracts, incorporating more than one
technique. I have ordered a number of new materials from Blick
Art and Plaza Art for this upcoming challenge. On the not so small
list, is a new Gelli Plate. It is a great way to Monoprint without the
large press. It will allow great backgrounds to be created, using
masking, shapes can easily be incorporated into the abstract.Be
sure to stop by to check out the days results. I'll be sure to add a
link to my supply list as new material is included. Till Friday...Happy
Painting.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

I have been having a little trouble with my knee this past week and have been sorta house and ice pack bound. I posted this quote on my blog two years ago, shortly after Shawn had passed away, and was reminded of it by Facebook this past week. It so totally described Shawn's approach to living her life. This quote made me want to rethink how I spent my everyday over the last two years since her death. I can only say...she was so right! I want to live my life doing what I love, bring a smile and a little joy to the lives of others I touch. I am so grateful to have found my art. I am the lucky one, I know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my time here, while so many people I know, are still frantically searching or wasting their days just trying to stay busy.

I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the

end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and

errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the

car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my

walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw

parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I

want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the

Gift

Shauna Niequist

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

Rumi

Thank You for letting me share. I always end my blog post with a statement that has come to mean so much to me...

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

“I realized that I did not really know who I was as an artist. My work had always been subject to the needs of outside demands – for sale, for a commercial product, or as instructional examples – and I wanted to know what happened if I just made art as a personal inquiry. I still want to know, and it is that ongoing quest that keeps me motivated”.

One of the biggest differences I have observed since retiring from a full time teaching position(in science) is my ability to explore my making of art. I love the idea that Jane Davies shares. Instead of always creating art to sell, to please a specific client, what would happen if you created art as a process of exploration. There is so much out there just begging to be examined, tried and used. Starting at the beginning of September I will start a new 30 pieces in 30 days challenge. Let the process of exploration begin.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

I am nearing the end of this project. That is always a good feeling. I will probably need to wait a few more weeks. Till I can get down on the floor. The rehab on the knee is progressing well, but I'm not there yet. Cleaned up all the painting supplies and looking for my next project. I love the summer, I always feel like I have so much more energy than during the winter months.

Friday, July 8, 2016

I have lived with this dark gapping hole for 13 years. It is time for a change. The yellow walls are going and both the living room and dinning room are getting lightened up. The first step is to lighten up the brick of the fireplace. Each brick has ridges running through it,so the painting process is taking a lot of time. Looking forward to finishing this first project.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

The three paintings above were picked up this afternoon and are on there way to being used in a new film that is being shot here in Cincinnati starting July 5th. The movie, "The Girl From The Hood" is a Sony/ Lifetime (made for television) movie about the life of R&B artist Michel'le.

"The film will capture her journey from the streets of Compton, including her experience with Death Row Records and her relationships with founders Dr. Dre and Suge Knight, described as 'one of fame, abuse and ultimately, survival and triumph,' " said the announcement Tuesday by Kristen Schlotman, Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Film Commission executive director.

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

I don't know how you handle enormous problems or difficulties, but my usual routine is to take it for a few days and then the reality of the situation sinks in and all ____ breaks loose. So today as I work through an enormous hurdle to my everyday life I have started my day by jotting down all the things that make me Happy.

* my little Sherry smiling up at me.

* the flowers in the yard that are growing (not as fast as the weeds)

* family and friends who are here helping me get around.

* artist from the PAC who have contacted me

* the beat of my favorite music

*

You get the idea. No matter how horrible the situation seems, there are always things still happening in your life that will bring a smile and a sense of being OK.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

So what do you do when you find out at the start of Summer you will most likely be attached to a walker, hobbling on one leg and house bound for awhile. Your brain works overtime trying to find ways to still work on your art and keep moving forward. ART JOURNALING....I tried this about 2 years ago and it was something I really struggled with. Staring at a blank page and trying to figure out what to put on it is really difficult for me. I was sharing this problem with a friend recently and their suggestion was to Make a List. Take a word or a specific object and make a list of things under that heading that is pertinent to you. I have been thinking about this all week as I have been confined and think this is slowly looking like an answer to my fear of the Blank Page, staring back at me waiting, not always patiently, for me to give direction.

Start with a word that is really easy to relate too. As a visual artist my paintings are full of bright and vivid colors. I want them to contrast,jarring the painting to life. My first list is just that.

Colors :

Red,Purple,Teal. Black, Yellow, Orange, Chartreuse, Gray.

These colors always bring a loud, riveting energy to me. They wake me up, and get me moving.

How about you? What are your favorite Colors. How do you feel when your around them?

Friday, February 26, 2016

Working Through The Layers

As I began working on the the pink piece, I started with shapes and
rapid movements of the brush on the canvas. This layer was followed by a
thin glaze, a color-coating thin enough to see through, but still
covering or almost hiding what was already on the canvas. More shapes
and rapid brush strokes, representing other paintings long ago completed
or memories of the past, were applied to the canvas, creating another
layer. This again was followed be a transparent layer of glaze. In the
end, I have lost count of how many total layers are on each piece. This
process of layers coated by a thin glaze is what gave way to the name of
this new collection of work; Working Through The Layers. There simply
came a time when I knew the painting was finished. The astonishing part
that struck me as I looked deeply into all of the layers, was that the
sum of all these layers was so much less than the whole that they had
created. Each of us have accumulated years of experiences, emotions, joy
and pain, yet put them altogether and the person that has been created
is so much greater than the total of all of those parts of the past.
What is created:US

I hope you will have a chance to come by this evening and look through the layers of the two new pieces and see what you can find.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

When I was younger the tradition was to Spring Clean. I dreaded it, knowing that we would have to clean out everything. Not a spot in our home would be left untouched. As an adult I can totally appreciate the idea behind the "Spring Cleaning". Things that haven't been used in awhile gets cleaned up and sent to one of the many charities that will get it to someone who can and will use it. Garbage, well let's just say my one can gets pretty full. The best part is what you have left. It feels like a breath of "fresh air" has invaded every nook and cranny, and one can breath again.
When I retired, almost three years ago, I turned my energy towards my painting. It wasn't long before I looked around the studio and realized it had become very confining and small. The same thing had happened in my studio...time for a good "Spring Cleaning". I have embraced today's technology and applied many aspects of it towards the day-to-day functioning of my painting life. Very quickly it has become a time consuming monster that has consumed more time and energy than I could of ever expected. I realize in this age of technology, there will always be something new that one should embrace in order to become successful. There comes a point where one needs to "Spring Clean". This process of consolidating, eliminating and changing, is in itself, a time consuming endeavor that will hopefully create a breath of Fresh Air. As the frigid air swarms down from the North, bringing with it snow and frigid winds Sherry and I are happily embracing this challenge. The kitchen is stocked with plenty of coffee, chocolate and green beans(those are Sherry's), ready to see us through the long haul. Knowing at the other end we will find a more workable, hopefully, less time consuming technological bundle.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

I truly love the fact that Fine Art America allows you to Fill Your Home With Art in so many unique ways. You can take your favorite art off the walls and use it on throw pillows, shower curtains even a bed cover is available. The pillow and phone cover below are only a few samples of the available items for the home. Everything from fine art prints on your choice of substrate to shower curtains and bed covers. You can even wrap your phone in your favorite piece of art.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

It was over the Holidays that I was able to take a little time to read...for fun. I am an avid reader of biographies, and this time I spent exploring the history of a few of my favorite artist. There was one theme that constantly appears... "Paint in a series". Use the same basic theme; whether it is color, shapes, objects, it doesn't matter. Render them in a minimum of ten paintings. That is what I'm doing with this new series. Exploring the same theme over and over. At first you would think that painting the same thing, ten or more times, would get Really Boring. In fact it does quite the opposite. As the artist, you become very familiar with what ever material you might be using, which opens up the freedom to explore the theme.

Wiggles and Giggles...A study in the application of shapes and lines added to an abstract painting incorporating the dominate use of circles.

This is a big transition from my usual work. I would love to hear from you. What do you think about the change? Have you ever tried a similar approach with anything, maybe writing, setting up a new approach to teaching a lesson, managing your personal budget. What were your results; both positive and or negative. Would you do it again?

Sunday, January 17, 2016

What ever you do in this life it should be something you enjoy, I feel so lucky to be able to travel a new ,uncharted path. It always seems so exciting full of life,joy and passion. Sinc the start of 2016. I seem to be headed in a slightly new direction. The abstract pieces I have been working on feel light, more fun and playful. I guess the universe decided it was time play.

I am having so much fun working on these new pieces. I hope you will stop back this week and check on the,progress I am making.

Friday, January 8, 2016

I would say I was trying to rush Spring, but with such extremely mild temperatures this winter many of my Spring flowers are already coming up. Probably not the best for them since winter temperatures are scheduled for next week.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

The first step I. This process is to cover the canvas in a neutral color. I usually follow the rule that says to "paint light over dark" when I am just starting a new canvas. Of course like all rules, it is sometimes best to break it. Since I am using Acrylic paint the dry time between layers will be a lot shorter than if I was using oil.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

As many of you know I began 2015 with a challenge. I had never worked in acrylics and decided the best wat to learn was to dive right in. Twelve months later , a new year and a new beginning. I have been doing a daily abstract for the past eight months. There have been a lot of challenges with the daily pieces. First I was working in oils, which take forever to dry and process. Secondly I found the extremely small surface area very restrictive, and limiting brush movement. For these two primary reasons I am headed down a slightly different road. I am shifting to 8"X 10" canvases to gain a little more space and,for January at least, I'll be working in acrylics and additional material. This will allow me to occasionally incorporate the plaster from my Plaster Painting Classes. The two paintings below are the first two I completed in oils. They are very wet with thick paint and will take awhile to dry. I have switched to acrylics and the paintings for the rest of the month will be in acrylics.

I hope you will join me on this journey as I travel down a new path. Thank you for letting me visit with you today.